Balloons and other rides into the sky

Yearning for an exhilarating aerial experience? Here are just a few places where you can get airborne in Southern California.

SANTA MONICA

Ever wanted to know what it feels like to "float through the air with the greatest of ease?" TSNY Los Angeles trapeze school at the Santa Monica Pier offers a seaside setting with two-hour classes, available for ages 6 and up. Instructors can accommodate skill levels from beginner to advanced. Learn circus acts, silks, trampoline or lyra.

Visitors can float over lush vineyards and estates of wine country in a hot-air balloon. Sunrise flights are available year-round and offer views of local mountain ranges, lakes, rolling hills and the Channel Islands in the distance. Breakfasts and champagne toasts are often included after flights to celebrate adventures.

The 30th annual Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival will be held May 31-June 2 at Lake Skinner and includes wine tasting, balloon activities, music and crafts.

Parasailing outing off a chance to float 300 feet above Big Bear Lake. Views of local ski resorts and distant peaks can be has as you reach 7,000 feet. Riders can choose to get dunked in the lake or stay dry by getting guided back to the boat's platform. Each flight lasts about 10 minutes.

Since becoming an international sport in 1952, skydiving has become a popular recreational activity. Former President George H.W. Bush famously jumped out of a perfectly good airplane to celebrate his 85th birthday over Maine in 2009.

Founded in 1959, Skydive Elsinore offers tandem skydiving and beginner classes. The maximum jump altitude is 12,500 feet. As you glide back you can enjoy views of the city and Cleveland National Forest. During the 60-second free-fall, jumpers' average is 120 mph.

Not sure if skydiving is for you? IFly Hollywood offers an indoor experience in a vertical wind tunnel at Universal CityWalk. Riders 3 and older can soar on a column of wall-to-wall air simulating free fall.

You can soar along the scenic cliffs of Black's Beach while paragliding or hang gliding from the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Founded in 1930, the site is considered by enthusiasts to be the Kitty Hawk of the west.

Paragliders are able to fly in lighter winds than hang gliders. Flights range from smooth and relaxing to exciting and acrobatic, depending on passenger preference. The flights are done in a seated position.

You can step back in time with a ride in a 1920s-era biplane out of Montgomery Field. Flights range from 20 to 60 minutes and can be gentle or as thrilling as roller-coaster, depending on your preference.